Wagner won't talk future plans after her resignation

RICHMOND

Longtime Hampton Roads resident Jody M. Wagner will resign from her position as finance secretary in Gov. Timothy M. Kaine's administration next week, setting up an expected run for the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor.

Wagner, 52, declined to discuss her specific plans Friday. Kaine's office announced her impending resignation.

"I'm considering my options," she said when asked about her political future.

If she enters the 2009 race, Wagner will face an already crowded field of contenders including Republican Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling.

Also in the race is Russell County Supervisor Jon Bowerbank, a Democrat and owner of a southwest Virginia-based energy company who has started raising money and hiring campaign staff.

Wagner, a Norfolk lawyer, had served as finance secretary under Kaine since 2006. She was the first woman to hold the post.

Prior to '06, Wagner was state treasurer under then-Gov. Mark Warner.

"I've had a wonderful experience working with Gov. Kaine and Gov. Warner for the citizens of Virginia," she said Friday. "And I plan to continue serving the citizens of Virginia in some capacity."

A run for lieutenant governor wouldn't be Wagner's first attempt to win elective office.

In 2000, she lost the race for the 2nd Congressional District seat by about 7,500 votes to Republican Ed Schrock, a former state senator and retired Navy officer.

Wagner, a mother of four, is an Ohio native who has called both Norfolk and Virginia Beach home.

Her resignation is effective Aug. 8, according to a written statement issued by the Kaine administration that praised the outgoing finance secretary.

The statement credited Wagner's "fiscal stewardship" as a reason for Virginia's economic prosperity.

Replacing Wagner as finance secretary will be state budget director Richard Brown, a nearly 40-year veteran of state government.

Julian Walker, (804) 697-1564, julian.walker@pilotonline.com